Our BirdTrack app is designed to draw large numbers of people into the fun and value of systematic recording, including people who do not normally take part in surveys. We chose the app-based approach for three reasons:

• Use of the Internet is an efficient way of getting large numbers of records from large numbers of participants.
• Rapid feedback is important in BirdTrack, observations are incorporated into the public outputs every night.
• There are people who are much more interested using an app to record and send us data compared to using paper and post.

It would have been nice to be able to allow people also to submit data on paper but we do not have the resources to set up what would in effect be a parallel project. We apologise to those who, as a result, may feel excluded. When you are entering records online your data goes directly onto the BirdTrack database. This saves us valuable administrative time and costs, and gives us the opportunity to provide rapid results, for example the daily results pages and the animated maps. It also makes your records immediately accessible to local bird recorders, providing you have given permission for us to make your records available in this way.

No. It's never too late to take part in BirdTrack. We welcome records from any time during the year. Ideally we would like recorders to submit records throughout the year, but we appreciate that may not always be possible for everyone. The BirdTrack app will also allow you to enter data for earlier years so you can add historic observations from any paper records you may have kept too, which would be valuable and help increase the depth and breadth of our understanding.

No, you don't need to be an expert to take part. You can submit a Casual Record to the BirdTrack survey for the species that you do know. You can also use the list recording system to record lists of the species that you are able to identify. However, if you are seeing substantial numbers of birds that you can't identify please don't check the box to say that the list is complete.

We run bird identification training courses throughout the year to help people who are new to birdwatching develop their knowledge, skill and confidence at birdwatching. These training courses are usually held online so you don't need to travel to Thetford (UK) to take advantage of them. Concessions may also be available on some courses to help people with low incomes participate. 

We also have an extensive set of bird ID videos that can help you learn to identify birds and distinguish between “confusion species”.

Yes. BirdTrack is a great project for getting children enthused about birds and migration. Register your school grounds as a site and record the birds that you see and hear. There are already a number of schools participating. You could also encourage pupils to watch out for migrants on their way to and from school. If you have any questions about how to participate as a school, please email birdtrack@bto.org and we'll be happy to help.

Register for BirdTrack

If you already have a MyBTO account: 

• Log in to MyBTO
• Then look for BirdTrack under "Sign Up for Projects" and click "Register".

If you don't have a MyBTO account: 

• Create a free MyBTO account
• Then look for BirdTrack under "Sign Up for Projects" and click "Register".

After you have registered, you can use your MyBTO log in details to access the BirdTrack online portal or log in to the BirdTrack mobile app. 

To download the BirdTrack mobile app, visit Google Play (for Android) or the App Store (for Apple) on your mobile device, search for BirdTrack, and select 'Install'. 

You can access BirdTrack via the BirdTrack online portal or through the BirdTrack mobile app.  

Many people prefer to enter their sightings through the mobile app while they are out birding, while others prefer to enter their sightings on a computer via the online portal when they are at home.

However, there is no need to choose between the online portal and the mobile app! Both applications connect to the same database where your sightings are stored, so if you enter sightings via the mobile app while you are out and then log into the online portal later, your sightings will be visible in your account.

The BirdTrack online portal has several features not available in the mobile app, such as being able to edit your places, download your records and add photos to your sightings, so we recommending using both applications to make the most of all the features BirdTrack has to offer!

If you have any questions, please email birdtrack@bto.org and we'll try our best to help.

Yes. We've created a short and sweet guide to help you start using the BirdTrack online portal. If you have any questions, please email birdtrack@bto.org and we'll try our best to help.

Please see our guide to adding new records. If you have any questions, please email birdtrack@bto.org and we'll try our best to help.

Please only record the species that you can confidently identify.

“If in doubt, leave it out.”

We run bird identification training courses throughout the year to help people who are new to birdwatching develop their knowledge, skill and confidence at birdwatching. These training courses are usually held online so you don't need to travel to Thetford (UK) to take advantage of them. Concessions may also be available on some courses to help people with low incomes participate. 

We also have an extensive set of bird ID videos that can help you learn to identify birds and distinguish between “confusion species”.

Please see our guide to adding extra detail to records. If you have any questions, please email birdtrack@bto.org and we'll try our best to help.

Please see our guide to adding other wildlife to BirdTrack. If you have any questions, please email birdtrack@bto.org and we'll try our best to help.

Yes!

Yes! BirdTrack also allows you to enter records from outside Britain and Ireland, with data submitted from overseas used to support projects such as the European Breeding Bird Atlas. Our database includes the full world bird list and we update this annually to ensure we are up to date with the latest taxonomic changes.

As well as adding records via 'add records' in the online portal or via the BirdTrack mobile app, you can also upload records to BirdTrack from a spreadsheet.

Please see our guide to uploading historical records to BirdTrack. If you have any questions, please email birdtrack@bto.org and we'll try our best to help.

Please see our guide to viewing your life and year lists on BirdTrack. If you have any questions, please email birdtrack@bto.org and we'll try our best to help.

The Stats tab in the BirdTrack mobile app is also a great way of keeping track of your year list and comparing your stats to previous years.

We recognise the growing popularity of auto-ID tools that use audio or image inputs to provide species identification, but we currently ask volunteers not to solely rely on these tools when submitting data to us.

• Please read our full statement on the use of auto-id tools for more detail and clarity.
• If you have any questions, please email birdtrack@bto.org and we'll try our best to help.

Yes. Complete Lists from individual sites are very valuable even if you only make a single visit. Remember that whatever data you can contribute will be combined with that from other birdwatchers to improve our knowledge of bird populations in the UK.

BirdTrack also allows you to enter records from outside Britain and Ireland, with data submitted from overseas used to support projects such as the European Breeding Bird Atlas. Our database includes the full world bird list and we update this annually to ensure we are up to date with the latest taxonomic changes.

Absolutely. Even at well known nature reserves, you may be able to add sightings not reported by others. You might actually record more birds and different species during your visit! If you go birdwatching in a group and would like us to help you set up a group account, please email the BirdTrack Organiser at birdtrack@bto.org.

To log into the BirdTrack mobile app you need to use your BTO user ID. The app will not accept your email address.

If you are certain your account details are correct, confirm that the date and time on your device is accurate:

• Open the Settings app and navigate to "Date & Time". This is usually under System, but you can also search for "time zone".
• Check that "Use network-provided time" and "Use network-provided time zone" are enabled. If they are already enabled, toggle them off and then on again.

If you are still experiencing issues, contact the BirdTrack Organiser for assistance, by emailing birdtrack@bto.org

If you declined Location Services on the iPhone by accident, click on phone Settings > Privacy > Location Services to re-enable.

On Android, switch GPS on through phone Settings > Location & Security > Use GPS satellites.

We have adopted the Government Office Regions to present our regional results.

• Read the ONS guide for more information.

You can update or correct the email address from within the BirdTrack online portal. Once you have logged in as yourself, click on My preferences button in the menu on the left. Under Your details enter your new email address in the box provided. You can also update your email address, name and contact details inside your MyBTO account and the changes will be reflected in your BirdTrack account.